The Los Angeles Lakers were unable to take a game off of the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals. While they fought admirably, the Lakers just did not have enough for the best team in the conference, and on Monday night, Denver was able to complete a sweep at Crypto.com Arena.
Los Angeles pivoted on the fly this season, going from a team that looked to be at serious risk of missing the postseason to a contender in the West. Now, the franchise enters an offseason where getting over the hump will be the No. 1 priority, unless, of course, LeBron James’ hint that he is considering retirement ends up leading to him ending his career.
The question is how they end up doing that. One rumor that has been around for some time is the team’s apparent interest in Kyrie Irving, but according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, there is another guard who the front office has discussed: Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young.
For what it’s worth, Kyrie Irving and Trae Young, two All-Star-level point guards, were both sitting courtside in Los Angeles for the second time this postseason. Young, like James and Davis, is a Klutch client. The Lakers have had internal discussions about what a hypothetical trade offer for Young could look like this summer, according to multiple league sources not authorized to speak publicly.
It’s not hard to see why Young would be an outstanding fit alongside James and Anthony Davis, if there was any way for such a move to come to fruition. His shooting, playmaking, and pick-and-roll mastery would be an outstanding fit alongside the pair, and there have been rumors in the past that he could start looking around for a change in scenery. Many of those rumors came, however, prior to the Hawks making moves in their front office and hiring Quin Snyder to be their head coach, with Young saying he enjoys playing for Snyder and that he believes Atlanta’s new coach will bring the city a championship.